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A BB ME A S U R EM EN T & A N A LY TIC S | A PP LI C ATIO N NO TE

Foam Measurement and Control with Lasers

Laser transmitters have been

applied with great success in the
measurement and control of
foam, which is an integral part of
many industrial processes.

Measurement made easy

Overview
Foaming can be present in many industrial processes like
water & wastewater treatment, oil & gas, food &
beverage, pharmaceutical, etc. Foam can be an integral
part of the manufacturing process or it can be an
undesirable side effect. The production of foam can be
the source of costly problems such as environmental
pollution, reduced yields, production downtime, and
cleaning costs in case of overfills. Excess foam can cause
significant damages to equipment such as pumps and
filters. So, the use of an accurate and reliable foam
measurement technology is needed as it can bring
substantial savings to businesses through reduce use of
foaming agents, better process control, increased
throughput, reduced product losses and fewer
equipment failures. —
01 Control of foam level in a fermentation chamber

Water & Wastewater Foaming in activated sludge process is another common

Foaming is present in many water & wastewater
treatment processes. For instance, a company in Europe
needed to control the level of foam inside a fermentation
chamber. Foam level control during biochemical organic
decomposition of wastewater is critical to avoid
overflow of the fermentation chamber. A laser
transmitter was the best choice for this application due
to the presence of agitator blades and obstacles inside
the tank that made it difficult for other non-contact level
technologies.
operational problem in many wastewater treatment
applications. Foaming can occur in aeration tank,
secondary clarifier, as well as in digesters. In digesters,
foam is always present to some extent and detecting its
presence prior to or as soon as it occurs, is important.
Our LLT100 was used in such applications to maintain
the highest possible level but prevent overfilling due to
the growing foam level. ABB LLT100 is well suited for
this application, as it can measure reliably even with
changing surface conditions at the different states of
fermentation process inside the tank.
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protection and to prevent the liquid level from getting
higher than the foam level. However, foam level
measurement is also critical. It must not get so high as
to overflow, for the foam contains the valuable metals.
Furthermore, measuring the height of the foam can help
automate the dosage of chemical reagents like sodium
cyanide, which is the most important cost item after
power consumption in the mining industry. In multistep
stepped floatation phases, LLT100 can be used on the
first 3 or so units, as the foam thickness can reach 12” or
more.

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02 Digesters in wastewater treatment

Oil & Gas

Foaming may also be an issue in the oil & gas industry.
For example, in a Minox deoxygenation system, a
knockout pot periodically fills with liquids that can have
foam/froth at the top. In this application, it is required
to detect the top of the foam to lower the liquid level, so
the foam does not get into the blower. ABB LLT100 laser
transmitter is a good candidate for such application as it —
can reliably measure the level of the top of the foam. 04 Foam in floatation tank in the mining industry

Pulp & Paper

A pulp & paper manufacturer was using defoaming
chemicals in a deaerator tank at high dosage level. The
customer is using DP for liquid phase and installed an
LLT100 to measure and maintain the level of foam at 5%.
This helped reduce the amount of chemicals used from
250 cubic centimeter per minute down to 40-60 cc/min
leading to cost savings exceeding $100k per year.

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03 Foam in a knockout pot in Oil & Gas industry

Mining
In the mining industry, floatation cells are used to
separate the valuable minerals from ore. The foam is the
most precious part of the floatation cells as it contains
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the precious metals that are then extracted and sent to 05 Control of foam level in a deaerator tank in the pulp & paper industry
smelting. Guided wave radars and float-based
technologies have been used as a means for overfill
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Food & Beverage
Foam level control is a key requirement in the food &
beverage industry. For instance, foam is an integral part
of the brewing industry. This is particularly true in the
fermentation process where substantial foam is created.
Level measurement of foam is key to optimize
production and prevent costly overflows.
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06 Foaming during fermentation in the brewing process
Another application where foam control is important is
in the production of sugar from beets and molasse as a
co-product. ABB LLT100 Laser transmitter has been
used successfully in this application for foam level
control and for precise dosing of anti-foaming additives
during the production process, resulting in substantial
cost-savings. Laser is the best technology to measure
the top of dense foam and much more reliable than
anything else. Ultrasonic or open-path radars will lose
signal from time to time, not the laser.
Pharmaceutical
Crystallization is a separation process very commonly
used in the manufacturing of many different materials. It
also plays an important role in the pharmaceutical
industry, as more than 90% of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (API) are synthesized as a crystalline product.
Foam is often produced in the crystallization process
which then requires the use of antifoam agents or
special devices for breaking down the foam. A
pharmaceutical company in Asia has recently upgraded
its new manufacturing line of crystallization tanks with
stirrer. As part of this upgrade they have required non-
contact level measurement. A major challenge of this
application was the presence of a stirrer and the narrow
space in the tank which made it very difficult for level
measurement technologies such as ultrasonic or open-
path radar. The wide beams of ultrasonic and radar can
interfere with
the stirrer, side of the tank, or uneven liquid surface,
affecting the accuracy of the measurement. ABB LLT100
laser technology was selected because it can work
reliably even in tanks with many obstructions and where
space is limited.
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07 Foam measurement in a crystallization tank with stirrer
Benefits
LLT100 laser level transmitter presents many advantages
for these applications:
• Non-contact technology improving reliability
• Low cost of ownership
• Allows easy setup and offers fast and flexible
installation
• Can work with any type of material or surface
conditions
• Narrow beam and small divergence
• Can be installed very close to the wall and is
unaffected by internal structures or vessel shape
• Reliable even in the presence of agitators or blades
• Can measure reliably the top of dense foam
Conclusion
We have seen that foaming can be present in many
industrial processes and can be the source of costly
problems such as environmental pollution, reduced
yields, production downtime, and cleaning costs in case
of overfills. To prevent such undesirable consequences,
the use of an accurate and reliable foam measurement
technology is needed, and lasers have been used
successfully in this application. Laser is the best
technology to measure the top of dense foam and it is
much more reliable than anything else on the market.
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AN/LLT100_Foam Measurement-EN 03.2021

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